Hornsby looked as if he wanted to shout at Marianne to belay her queries and shift her arse, but manfully fought it down.  The weight of Hawksmoore across his shoulders didn't seem to slow him down much, despite his battered condition. "We're close - and close enough to encounter trouble.  Let's be going, now."

Jack McCurdy felt a prickly-clawed paw wrap around his ear, and a cold wet nose poking his cheek to get his attention.  Then the little squirrel-lizard most definitely pointed - in the direction of the fountain.

Meanwhile, two of the adventurers noticed something...strange.  A very cold chill washed over Marianne and Brother Clary, though Jack McCurdy was too busy herding Liza Waters to notice.  The doctor frowned as they went along down the valley, but made no move to stop them.  Brother Clary, in the rear, had the best view; the air ahead was shimmering, with an opalescent effect that if you looked too directly at, it vanished.  Marianne, speaking to Hornsby, noticed that the old pirate most definitely wanted to be moving on - and his patience was fraying.

"The Lupino live here," Hornsby said, stomping as he headed onwards.  "They're a tribe that's been around a long while."  He laughed then, though it was not his typical easy laugh, more of a sardonic chortle. "A _very_long_ while.  If they want to be seen, they will be. Do ye mind to come along now, lass, the lad's heavy." He headed down the path, in the lead.

Hector Corazon watched after them for a while, then went back to his fossil.  They could hear the tapping of the little hammer on stone matrix as they headed along the rocky path out of the valley, coming up onto a gently sloping, gravelled hill, and overlooking another wider valley, that spread out in a wash of green and grey, with a cut-stone path exactly like the one they had seen before.  The black marker stones didn't look so worn, now, either; they had definite shapes.  All of them were gargoyles, demons, or monsters, of various kinds.  And they could see two people picking their way along the path, in the distance, perhaps a half-mile off.  At this distance, it was hard to make out any details, but both figures moved with a singular purpose, towards the centre of the valley.  The sun was setting - or perhaps rising, it was impossible to tell.  The compass that had been on Hawkmoore's belt merely spun its needle to and fro....though anyone watching Hawksmoore would see his dangling right hand suddenly twitch, close, and then open again. Liza Waters trotted along passively, dragged by McCurdy.

A gentle breeze whispered over the valley, carrying with it the sound of voices...and more faintly, wails and screams.  There was a crisp smell of water, fresh water, as well.

Brother Clary steals up the column until he's just behind McCurdy's right ear.

"Brother, there's somethin' powerful wrong here, and I don't know if you've seen what I seen, but you need to be ready.  Pass it on to the little lady up ahead -- but don't let Hornsby hear!" He whispered.

McCurdy looked long at the tall preacher and not without a bit of puzzlement in his grey eyes. He didn't what the preacher was talking about, but after this day, he didn't much doubt anything he was told. He felt of his pistols beneath his coat and looked at Hornsby up ahead, curiosity taking him.

He just nodded and waited.

Marianne was still following along behind the pirate, but now she was lagging behind slightly. Her expression, as she turned to look at the preacher and McCurdy, was a warning, and she had her gun in hand. She indicated Hornsby with a slight movement.

McCurdy noticed Marianne's look and narrowed his eyes at her in question. Quickly he mouthed a one word question: What?

Marianne shook her head and mouthed one word back: Demon

McCurdy's brow wrinkled above one eye as he looked at her. His grip tightened on Liza's arm as one of his pistol's found its way into his hand. He eased closer to Marianne. His eyes never left Hornsby.

Marianne whispered back urgently.

The adventurers traipsed along, noting that Hornsby was picking up the pace, despite the dead weight of Hawksmoore across his shoulders.  Liza Waters amiably walking, was dragged along by McCurdy.  The sound of tapping on stone faded into the distance, but then there was another sound - a single shot, fired, up ahead.  One of the two figures nearest the fountain fell.

Up ahead, Hornsby paused, but only for an instant.  "They keep not to the code," he muttered, apparently to no one, or perhaps to Hawksmoore, and walked onwards, apparently unaware that his shadow was...strange, and that they had noticed.  He seemed single-mindedly heading to the fountain.

The fuzzy lizard on McCurdy's shoulder chattered cheerfully at Marianne, reaching for her red hair as she drew close to speak to the detective.  It seemed to view all of the world as a happy place, especially from the perch it kept to.

Brother Clary, at the back again and very watchful, hears another sound behind him - footsteps, on the path.  A tall, dark-haired, deeply tanned woman is striding along, and frowns at him, about a hundred and fifty feet away.  A dusty, ragged rucksack is hanging from her shoulders, and she has a Remington rifle slung over her right shoulder.  Her hands are empty.  Her dress is mannish, too; khaki trousers with stained knees, a dirty t-shirt, and tall, dusty boots.

They were now close enough to get a good view of the fountain; it was the same, nondescript one they'd seen before, a small, quiet stone fountain, with several strange grey-green bushes scattered around it, in a clearing paved with nice stonework.

"Damn, this is a busy place," McCurdy said aloud at the sound of the other gunshot. He was looking at Hornsby with a careful eye now, wondering what in the hell was going on.

He leaned closer to Marianne again, a wiff of her perfume suddenly so clear to his senses, and spoke quietly.

Marianne was startled to hear another gunshot and she studied the two distant figures briefly, trying to make out what was happening. She was smiling as she picked up the chattering squirrel from McCurdy's shoulder and scratched its head lightly. As the private eye told her his plan, her manner grew annoyed and she whispered something back with a decided shake of her head.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:44, Wed 31 May 2006.

Startled, Brother Clary finds his voice.  "Friends, we got company," he said, never taking his eyes off of the strange woman.

Then to her, "Ma'am, this seems to be a strange place for someone like you. Mind if'n I ask how you got here?"  His tone was friendly, but it was obvious that he still carried his shotgun at the ready.

Marianne immediately turned around, her gun at the ready. Surveying the woman before them carefully, she suddenly realized that this must be the Baroness - or the Countess - that Liza had described. From what her friend had said, the woman was deadly. She waited to hear what the Baroness had to say, although she watched Hornsby out of the corner of her eye from time to time.

The lovely woman surveyed them with a haughty glare. "My business is none of yours," she said, her accent redolent of Eastern Europe. "Get out of my way."  With that, she strode forward, clearly intent on bypassing them on the path.  The sight of the battered adventurers seemed to be of little interest to her.  As she passed by Brother Clary, he saw the hilt of a rapier in the back of her rucksack, the sheath hidden under the canvas - it had the most beautifully chased and begemmed guard he'd ever seen.  She walked as if she owned the road...and perhaps the world, and even sneered at Hornsby, who glanced back at her briefly.

(everyone, roll spot hidden ! % dice)

 McCurdy didn't get to finish what he had been whispering to Marianne due to the interruption. He didn't seem at all surprised that someone else had shown up to tempt the fate of the well and generally mess with the whole snowball.

McCurdy just eyed the woman as she stalked by in her haughty airs and concentrated on Hornsby...

Marianne seemed mollified by McCurdy's answer and nodded at him. She returned to her scrutiny of Hornsby and their surroundings, looking around for the trees that Carson had referred to. "Captain, what is the code and what happens when you break it?" she asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:14, Fri 02 June 2006.

Hornsby frowned at the haughty woman, but was polite enough to step aside, allowing her to stalk past him.  She did not look back, but went onwards towards the fountain.  Then he looked back at the three adventurers, who had noticed nothing strange (or rather, any stranger than usual).  "Time was - " he began, with another scowl at the use of such a word in this place. "Time was, we who have drunk from the fountain, swore to keep peace on the path to the fountain, whatever our personal business might be outside in the world.  De Vega and  Bastian never fought on the path itself, but the city or anywhere else their paths crossed, that was ever another matter.  Those of us who remember our days on the account - to wit, as pirates, also kept to the code of parley.  Yet I see tis not the way of things now."  he nodded up ahead, towards the fountain, where someone had apparently shot someone else.

Something occurred to Hornsby, as he set off again along the path. He turned and looked back at them.  "Tis not a safe place anymore, I think.  Mind yourselves." and with that, he went back to his long strides, heading down the path into a valley that was somehow outside of time.  The changeable light cut through the valley now, suddenly sharp, then fading into softness, cutting shadows and then allowing them to blur together again.  It was just a plain, small fountain with some odd little shrubs, then it was suddenly a gushing geyser, surrounded by huge trees....and fading into the mist, then brightly seen by strong sunlight.  Four people stood by the fountain now, apparently waiting; the adventurers could see the woman had reached it, and three men were there, clearly seen less than a quarter-mile away.

One of the men was Basil Ringrose.  The sight of Ringrose made Hornsby pause again, but he did not stop.  Another was Lafitte, and the third, McCurdy recognised his apparel first - it was a German Luftwaffe uniform, glinting with medals and rank.

Marianne took the opportunity to whisper to Brother Clary. _{"Preacher, do you see any likely trees around here? We need that cross more than ever."}

Brother Clary squinted at the strange scene before him, then shook his head. 

The adventurers, trailing after Hornsby, noticed that the shifting landscape came and went, almost like breathing.  With a cheerful chirrup, the little lizard-squirrel jumped from McCurdy's shoulder and bounded ahead in big bouncy leaps.  Another pair had come up to the fountain now - another man, old, barefoot and in rags, long white hair draggled over his tattered shoulders, and a Hispanic-looking woman of a very fine figure, her long hair in a half-undone bun, her leather vest hanging in shreds and her left arm in an impromptu sling.

As the group approached, Brother Clary addressed the woman in the sling.  *Bien Venidos, Senorita!*  Ain't you looking for your daddy?  My guess is we ran into him a little ways back up the road.  He was lookin' at some fossil he found." The Texas preacher casually indicated the direction with his shotgun.

McCurdy entered the clearing with Liza and set her down on the stones near the fountain, telling her to stay put. He never took his eyes from any of the strangers and never let his hand stray too far from one of his guns. He never said a word either...

Marianne eyed the strange couple curiously, but she was preoccupied by other matters. "Captain, do you know someone by name of Sawney or De Leon?" She assumed it was Ponce de Leon that Carson had referred to, but she hadn't spotted any likely conquistadors in the area. She knew she was taking a chance asking Hornsby, but they were drawing closer to the fountain now, and if the cross wasn't already in Basil's hands, she was going to make damn sure it was in the preacher's.

The Hispanic woman with her arm in the sling startled when addressed, but even after what had apparently been a difficult journey, she saw Brother Clary and his face seemed slightly familiar.  "Where is my father ?"  she demanded, and then she saw Hornsby - she glared at him fiercely, but had apparently other things on her mind, so her attention returned to Brother Clary.  At his indication of direction, she immediately began to head that way.

With a grunt, Hornsby put down his burden, Hawksmoore lying as if dead very close to a spiky-looking bush.  It seemed that Hornsby was tougher than he looked, for the man's eyes were steel-sharp.

Liza plonked down where placed, still staring off into space, and McCurdy took stock of the others.  The old man looked mad, with haunted eyes and a tremulous smile.  Lafitte looked cautious.  Basil Ringrose was smiling, the very image of a gentle old fellow without a care in the world, which sent a chill along McCurdy's spine.

Marianne's question was answered, surprisingly, from behind her. "Ah, Senorita, it is the rag-man you see before you, who is the great de Leon, the first European to discover this place," came an oily Spanish-accented voice.  Behind her was de Vega, looking none the worse for wear, smiling a devilish smile.

The squirrel-creature did a happily lollopping run around the fountain, then bounced up onto the edge of it, where a roughly carved rock made a sort of small platform.  Then it stood up - and up...its shape blurring and increasing, until it became a small, plump woman with dark skin and a delightfully smiling face, her black hair braided and dressed in shells and sparkling emeralds.  The men bowed to her, though Doctor Corazon (the younger) watched Brother Clary.  The other dark-haired woman curtseyed, a perfect court curtsey of a bygone age.

"So, you have come, you who are brave and bold," the ex-squirrel spoke, her voice a warm one that resonated in the adventurer's bones along with the gentle bubbling of the fountain, "You have come to my fountain.  Your days shall be without number, to the end of the world, but you will belong to me if you drink of my fountain and offer me your own fountain, to make the tree of your life take root and grow here.  It is your choice. One of you will become mine today."  Gula spread her arms, raising them to the shifting sky, and still smiling, vanished into a spray of dragonflies, which zoomed around and disappeared.  Hornsby did not hesitate for an instant, but immediately went to the fountain and drank a handful of the water, then walked to a small, rugged little bush and slashed open his palm with a knife, letting the drops of blood splatter onto it.  Before their eyes it shivered...and grew, just a little.

At the scene before them, Brother Clary caught Marianne's eye and nodded at Hornsby's activity.  He mouthed the word 'machete' to her.